Take Action: UN System

Call to Civil Society Youth: International Youth Day 2021, Transforming Food Systems

For International Youth Day on August 12, 2021, the United Nations Civil Society Unit is celebrating youth voices. The theme of this year Youth Day is, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.” The day aims to highlight the notion that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.

Everyday, young people all over the globe work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Department of Global Communications is aiming to share these successes with our Civil Society network to celebrate youth and to encourage more youth to become involved by becoming the change they want to see in the world. Please submit TEXT and VIDEO responses (see details below) for a chance to be featured in our International Youth Day Celebration.

The deadline for submissions is 8 August 2021.

*We will try to highlight each project as comprehensively as possible. We also appreciate your patience in taking time to answer all questions. Please note that depending on the volume of responses received, we may not be able to share every submission.

UNESCO Clubs 2021 Worldwide Youth Multimedia Competition

USFUCA, UNESCO Center for Peace and World Genesis Foundation invite youth around the world to take part in this year’s Multimedia Competition.  Unparalleled connectivity put youth in one of the greatest positions to bring much needed change to the world.

UNESCO’s mission is to mobilize the optimism of youth to respond to an acute world problem to serve others now.    Last year, motivated participants from over 65 countries submitted over 600 projects in this highly rewarding contest.

Webinar on applying for ECOSOC consultative status (5 May 2021, 11:00am – 12:30pm New York Time)

Dear NGO Representatives,

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) NGO Branch will be conducting a Webinar on “Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status” for NGOs on 5 May 2021, 11am – 12:30pm (NYT). Please feel free to share this message with your networks.

The meeting will provide answers to the following questions:

  • What is Consultative Status, which organizations are eligible and what are its benefits?
  • How the entire application process works since the application is submitted to the NGO Branch until ECOSOC makes its decision?
  • What are the main components of the application package?

Register at: http://bit.ly/DESANGORegister
Webinar flyer: http://bit.ly/DESAflyer
More information here: https://bit.ly/2PqdHfc
Tweet: https://twitter.com/UN_NGO/status/1377636248513355782?s=20

Open Ended Working Group on Ageing

URGENT CALL TO MEMBERS WITH ECOSOC STATUS AND THOSE ACCREDITED (OEWG-accredited NGO) TO THE OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP ON AGEING :

Even though you can only watch the meeting on UN Web TV (http://webtv.un.org/) from 29 March to 1 April, there is an opportunity for you to submit written statements !!

They can be submitted to estatements@un.org. preferably before the session starts but can be submitted up to 2 hours before it ends.

We want as many written statements submitted as possible, on any or all of the focus areas (in separate written statements) as a testimony of the concerns from hundreds of NGOs about the lack of decision-making to start drafting an international legal document to protect and promote the rights of older persons. Member States must be made aware of the wide support for a convention.

Attached are some suggestions here that you may wish to include in your statements, which should not be more that 500 words per statement.

We need to inundate the UN with hundreds of written statements. Strength in numbers!

Please join in this effort !!

NOTIFICATION UNCTAD survey on creative economy institutional framework and legislation Creative industries national methodology, institutions and legislation

Please find attached a notification together with the Survey in French and Spanish on the above-mentioned subject. The English version sent on 27 November 2020 is also attached for ease of reference.

Kindly note that the new deadline to reply to the survey has been extended to 30 April 2021

Share Your Climate Action Story

Dear NGO Representatives,

We would like to share with you an opportunity to submit your organization’s efforts and stories on climate action.

The United Nations Department of Global Communications (UNDGC) will highlight the achievement stories of civil society through social media posts and on its website.

As the world confronts the pandemic and embarks on recovery, there is growing recognition that the recovery must be a pathway to a green and sustainable society. This is why the United Nations now calls for civil society to share your stories.

We know your actions will inspire others. Working together, we can make a difference.

Please submit your stories from this link: http://bit.ly/CSO4ClimateAction

For further information or questions, please contact ngls@un.org.

UN DESA NGO Branch

*Please note that depending on the volume of stories received, we may not be able to share every submission.

Share Your Climate Action Story

Calling all world-changers: Share your SDG Good Practices!

UN DESA is calling on all changemakers, trailblazers and fearless activists to share their stories with the world. We are looking for good practices, success stories and lessons learned that could help others take action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Five years since world leaders pledged to achieve prosperity for all on a clean planet, the SDGs seem as distant as ever, as the deadly COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to a halt, undoing years, sometimes even decades of progress.

Even in this grim new reality, the SDG changemakers around the world are refusing to throw in the towel. On the contrary, they are redoubling their efforts to make up for the lost time. From creating green energy jobs for women and youth in war-torn Yemen to training community veterinarians in South Sudan, to helping indigenous peoples monitor the fulfilment of their rights in Latin America, the world is bubbling with inspiring SDG action – now we want to hear about yours! It’s time to register your good practice for the SDGs.

What makes a good practice good? In order to be approved, an SDG good practice should be:

  • SDG-specific
  • Results-focused
  • Inclusive
  • Accountable, sustainable and replicable

If the good practice is found to fulfill these criteria, it will join the ranks of over 500 projects from every corner of the world, already featured in UN DESA’s database. SDG good practice– no matter how large or small – may be taken up by someone on the other end of the planet. It may inspire organizations just like yours to start working for the global goals.

But most importantly, it will show the world that despite the COVID-19 setbacks, the wave of SDG action is unstoppable.

Here are the next steps:

  • Register SDG good practice before 28th February 2021 here.
  • Find answers to your questions here.
  • Be inspired by the shining examples of good practices from around the world in our new publication.

Survey UNDESA/DISD self-evaluation

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) undertook a range of actions to help countries respond to the pandemic and navigate the policy choices ahead.

Specifically, DISD contributed to the early monitoring of the social impact of COVID-19 including in relation to inequality, poverty, social protection and vulnerable social groups, through the production of a series of policy briefs, Secretary-General’s reports and guidelines.

This evaluation seeks to assess the relevance and effectiveness of these products in responding to needs of our stakeholders. We would greatly appreciate your open and constructive feedback on how we can improve our products and future activities in this important area of work by responding to this survey by November 25, 2020. It should take you less than 10 minutes to complete it and all responses will be anonymous.

We greatly appreciate your valuable feedback! Link to the Survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6024833/UNDESA-DISD-COVID19

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the evaluator at raul.guerrero.garcia@gmail.com 

We need your input on Youth Initiatives on HIV in Africa

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the African Union Youth Envoy are undertaking a publication to take stock of youth-led initiatives, innovations and networks in Africa. The publication will serve as an advocacy document intended for decision-makers, development partners, donors and will capture critical contributions of young people that have advanced the HIV response on the continent.

TAKE SURVEY

Register for an Online Course on The Gender Impact of Technological Upgrading in Agriculture

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

Online course

The Gender Impact of Technological Upgrading in Agriculture

23 November – 13 December 2020

The UNCTAD secretariat is pleased to inform permanent missions of member States in Geneva that the UNCTAD Trade, Gender and Development Programme will organize a special edition of its online course on trade and gender devoted to The Gender Impact of Technological Upgrading in Agriculture from 23 November to 13 December 2020 (for details, please see the attached prospectus).

The course, which will focus on analyzing the links between trade, gender and development and the effects of agricultural technology on women’s participation in production and trade, aims to:

  • Enhance the understanding of the interactions between trade and gender and their links to countries’ inclusive development strategies;
  • Analyse the impact of gender inequalities in agriculture on production and trade outcomes;
  • Identify the constraints influencing women’s adoption and use of agricultural technologies, as well as possible solutions;
  • Enhance knowledge on the types of technologies used in agrifood value chains and in sustainable agriculture;
  • Provide participants with knowledge and skills for the design and implementation of gender-aware trade and development policies, including in the agriculture and technology fields, corresponding to the needs and interests of their countries.

The course targets policymakers, academics and representatives of civil society in developing countries involved in policy formulation and implementation, research, teaching and advocacy in the area of trade and gender. A limited number of applications from developed countries’ stakeholders will be considered. Qualified women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Thanks to support from the Government of Finland, the selected participants will be exempt from fees associated with access to the course and the e-tutoring services provided.

Interested candidates should apply by following the instructions at: https://www.research.net/r/3RKC52R. The deadline for applications is 11 November 2020.

To obtain assistance with the online application process, please contact elearningtrade@un.org. Requests for further information or clarification about this course should be sent to: Ms. Simonetta Zarrilli, Chief, Trade, Gender and Development Programme, Division on International Trade and Commodities; e-mail: Simonetta.Zarrilli@un.org.

Download prospectus. 

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